Forgotten Family
by Mads Winchester-Novak
Summary: When an old friend of the Winchesters calls needing help, Castiel is very suspicious of her. Who is this girl? Why does she recognize Castiel when the two seem to have never met? Why is her necklace made of the same material as an angel blade? No slash, rated T for mild swearing
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 **A/N I only own Esther. I do not own the show, characters, or any song mentioned. I am also writing this for fun and am not being paid.**

 **This is my first fanfic so I hope you like it! Please review! If you don't like, don't read. I welcome constructive criticism. Please let me know if any characters seem OOC.**

 **Important info: Takes place after Sam and Dean find the bunker. Castiel is still a full blown angel.**

 **Rated T for mild swearing and torture.**

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Castiel have just finished a hunt and were heading back to their motel room in the Impala. Dean had to force Cas to ride back in the Impala with him and Sam, so Dean could introduce Cas to some "real" music, as Dean calls it. Dean turns on the radio and _The Unforgiven_ by Metallica was finishing up. During the middle of _Second Chance_ by Shinedown, Dean heard his phone ring, and pulls his phone out to answer it.

"Hello?" Dean asks, turning off the radio.

"Dean? Dean, is that you?" The voice says frantically.

"Who's asking?" Dean knows better than to say who he is without first knowing who's on the other end of the line.

"You should really… visit the rose gardens," Code. It was a code phrase. The voice also knew not to say their name.

"Esther? Essie, what's wrong? Where are you?" Dean asks. Sam looks to Dean with a mix of shock and worry in his eyes.

"Somewhere in… Charlotte, NC… Spirit hunt… gone wrong… Dean... please hurry," She urged. Dean noticed how weak she sounded.

"Ok. Esther, I need you to describe where you are for me, ok?" Dean stepped on the gas just a little bit more, almost breaking the speed limit.

"Some alley... off of Cedar Street. Dean... I need you... please," Esther pleaded.

"Don't worry Esther, we will be there in three hours tops. You stay there, you hear me!" Dean stepped on the gas a tad more, just breaking the speed limit. Sam knew that it takes at least four hours to get to Charlotte, not including traffic and the fact that they need to head back to the motel. Dean was going to break every speed limit to get there.

"Dean... I... _Your call has been disconnected."_ Dean put his phone back in his pocket and was now going well above the speed limit to get back to the motel.

"What's wrong with Esther?" Sam asked worriedly.

"She said she was hunting a spirit and something went wrong. She sounds hurt Sam."

"Who's Esther?" Castiel asked. The brothers momentarily forgot that Castiel was in the back seat listening to every word.

"Her name is Esther Rose Morgan. We met her on a hunt years ago when she was a just a teenager. Her parents were both dead, so she took up hunting to avenge them. She's like family to us." Sam explained to Castiel.

"She _is_ family, Sam. She left us before you came along, Cas, that's why you two have never met." Dean said.

"Why did she leave?" Castiel tilted his head in confusion.

"Her mother was attacked by a vamp when she was very little. When she heard that there were more vamp-like attacks in the same area, she wanted payback. We told her it was too dangerous to go hunting alone, but one night she slipped through the front door and left. We haven't heard from her since. " Sam explained.

"Why have you never talked about her?" Castiel asked, looking even more confused.

"Because we thought she was dead." Dean said, staring out the windshield, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh." Castiel sighed and looked out the side window. Dean was still breaking every speed limit as the car came to a screeching halt as they reached the motel.

* * *

They were about thirty minutes away from Cedar Street when Dean asked Cas to go on ahead and search for Esther. "She's taller than average, has chocolate brown eyes, long brown hair, and glasses. Find her, Cas!"

"Will do." Cas answered as he vanished into thin air. Castiel looked for twenty minutes before coming back to the Impala. "Dean, I could not find a girl matching the description you gave me."

Dean sighed, "Did you check everywhere?"

"Yes, Dean. The only people I saw in the alleys were two men and a girl with brown hair, brown eyes, but no glasses."

"Ugh! Cas! That's her! She's wearing contacts or her glasses were knocked off!" Sam yelled. "Go! Call us when you find her again, and this time with or without glasses!"

"Yes, Sam." Castiel vanished. Castiel went back to searching for the girl.

When he saw her, he decided it would be best if he walked up to her since she was a hunter. Castiel appeared just out of sight from Esther Rose and walked to her. Castiel pulled out his phone and called Dean.

"Dean. I found her. She's in the alley right next to the phone booth." Castiel said and hung up the phone.

Esther Rose stared curiously at the man walking towards her. She heard him mention Dean, but was still skeptical of his intentions, so she quickly grabbed her demon killing knife, the one Sam gave her. For all she knew, this man could be possessed by a demon and is trying to trick her. The man looked at Esther and they locked eye contact for a minute. When she looked into the man's beautiful, crystal blue eyes, she felt a strange sense of calming and peace fill her. She didn't know what to think of the man, but he was staring at her, but it was almost as if he was staring directly into her soul.

Castiel looked at the girl and they made eye contact. Castiel looked deep into her decadent chocolate brown eyes. Her soul was so beautiful and pure. He was filled with a sense of wonderment from the girl. Who was this girl?

When Esther heard the familiar sound of the approaching Impala, she immediately felt safe. The Winchesters were coming to save her!

Castiel heard the sound of the Impala, and quickly stepped out of the alley to flag down the brothers. When the car pulled off to the side of the road where Castiel was, Sam and Dean quickly jumped out. Dean ran over to Castiel and asked, "Where is she?" Castiel pointed to a figure sitting on the cold ground, bundled up in a blanket with only a small duffel bag.

Sam and Dean ran over to her. Castiel decided this was a Winchester matter, so he flew to the bunker.

"Esther? Esther! Thank God you're alive! What happened?" Dean hugged Esther, but pulled away quickly when she yelped in pain. Dean looked down and saw Esther's clothes were stained red in two places, on her right shoulder and her left thigh. Dean panicked when he noticed how deep the stab wound in her thigh was. He sighed in relief when he realized that the femoral artery was not cut. But, Dean noticed how deathly pale she looked and saw all of the scratches and bruises lining her face and arms. He quickly took off one of his flannels and applied pressure to her thigh, while Sam examined her shoulder. It wasn't as deep as the wound in her thigh, but it missed the bones.

"Spirit... threw me across... a room... hit the China... cabinet... spirit stabbed me... with..." Esther murmured. Esther noticed how blurry the Winchesters looked, then the Earth started to spin and black spots creeped into her vision. Her eyes rolled up to her head as she fell into Dean's arms, unconscious.

"Essie? Esther! Esther, stay with me! Please, Essie! Stay with me now!" Dean cried. A single tear escaped from his eye as he watched Esther's head fall into his shoulder.

Sam ran back to the Impala to grab the first aid kit from the trunk. He thought Castiel would be waiting by the car, but he was gone. Sam was angry that the Angel just left them when Esther needs help. He grabbed the first aid kit and ran back to his brother and Esther. He didn't have time to be mad at Castiel, right now all he cared about was saving Esther.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 **A/N I only own Esther. I do not own the show or the characters or any song mentioned. I am also writing this for fun and am not being paid. Sorry if anything is confusing, but all will be revealed in its time**

* * *

"Dean! Dean, let her go! We need to clean her wounds!" Sam said as he got back to his brother and Esther. Dean grabbed Esther's duffel and used it as a pillow as he laid her down on the cold ground. Once Dean laid her down, he realized how warm she had felt. He place the back of his hand on her burning forehead.

"Son of a bitch! Give me the thermometer, Sam!" Sam hastily opened up the thermometer and handed it to Dean. Dean placed the thermometer in her ear and waited for the beep.

"103.2. Dammit! The wound is infected!" Dean yelled. "You clean the wound, I'll get Cas!"

"Wait! Dean, Cas is gone. He flew off." Sam said as Dean stood up.

"Goddammit Cas! Fine, we'll have to get her to a motel. Grab her bag." Dean reached down and picked Esther up bridal-style and took her to the car. Sam grabbed the first aid kit and Esther's duffel bag and ran back. Sam opened the door and hopped in the back so he could sit with Esther. Dean placed Esther in Sam's lap and he jumped in the front seat and drove off.

* * *

" _Estheriel? Estheriel?" The voice called out. The voice saw the angel playing in the garden with the younger fledglings. As the voice approached the group, Estheriel quickly dropped to her knees and bowed her head. The other fledging quickly followed suit._

" _Archangel Gabriel. It is an honor." Estheriel said staring at the ground._

" _Please, just call me Gabe. Stand up. No need for all the formalities." Gabriel said with a smirk._

" _Yes, sir." Estheriel stood up, but kept her head bowed._

" _Don't call me sir, either. Just call me Gabe or Gabriel." Gabriel sighed._

" _Yes, Gabriel. What could I do to help you?"_

" _Come with me. Mikey... I mean Michael... needs to see you." Gabriel grabbed the young angel's hand and flew her to the section of Heaven where Michael was. When they arrived, Michael was holding a bundle of pure white blankets._

 _Upon seeing the eldest archangel, Estheriel quickly bowed her head and dropped to her knees, shaking. "A-Archangel Michael. I-It's an honor." Estheriel felt a soothing hand on her shoulder, sending a warmth through her body. She knew it was Gabriel, but she didn't dare look up in the presence of the Archangel Michael._

" _Estheriel. Please, stand up." Michael said. Estheriel quickly stood with her head still bowed. "I would like to introduce you to the newest fledgling, Castiel." Michael held out the bundle of blankets and Estheriel looked up, still avoiding eye contact with the eldest archangel. She took a shaky step forward to look into the blankets. The first thing she noticed were the deep black onyx wings contrasting the bright sapphire blue eyes. The fledging was beautiful. Michael handed the fledgling to Estheriel and she took him into her arms. She couldn't stop staring at his bright blue eyes as a smile spread across her face. "He will be your charge, and you will be his guardian angel." Michael said._

 _Estheriel was confused. "With all due respect, Archangel Michael, but don't angels normally get human charges?"_

" _Yes." Michael chuckled. "But Father has big plans for Castiel, and he will need all the help he can get. You will raise him until he is old enough to be a soldier in Father's Army. This a big responsibility, Estheriel. Father is placing a lot of trust in you. Do you accept your charge." Michael asked._

 _Estheriel looked away from the fledging to make eye contact with Michael. "Yes, Archangel Michael. I accept my charge." With that, Gabriel flew her to her new nest, where she would raise her charge, Castiel._

* * *

"Dean, her fever's gone up! 105.8. She needs to cool down now!" Sam and Dean were in the motel room, trying to get Esther's fever down. They managed to clean, stitch, and bandage all of her wounds, but the infection was still running its course.

"I'll grab some ice. You fill up the bath." Dean said, running out of the room.

A few minutes later, Sam and Dean were picking up Esther and laying her into the bath of icy cold water. Immediately her body started to shiver, but she wouldn't wake up.

"Why isn't she waking up? She needs to wake up!" Dean yelled after she had been laying in the water for a minute.

"Dean, we need to pull her out. She'll get hypothermia and frostbite if left in there too long." Sam looked to Dean. Dean nodded and grabbed some towels. Sam picked Esther up while Dean tried to dry to her off. They wrapped her in the towels and laid her back in the bed.

"Dean, you need to call Cas. Maybe he can heal her. I don't know what else to do except take her to a hos-"

"No, Sam. No hospitals." Dean cut him off. "There's a reason she called us instead of going to a hospital. I'll call Cas." Dean grabbed his phone and called Cas.

" _Hello, Dean."_

"Cas! What the hell! You left us there when you knew Esther was hurt! Now she has a fever that won't break and she won't wake up. Get your feathery ass down here!" Dean yelled into the phone.

" _Yes, Dean. Where are you?"_

"Knights Inn Motel. Room 8."

* * *

 _Estheriel looked down at the frightened fledgling hiding behind her leg. "Come on, Castiel! It's fun!" Esther jumped up and flew in a circle above Castiel's head before landing right back where she was. "Just jump up and let your wings do the rest!"_

 _The fledgling looked up into Estheriel's eyes. "But I'm scared that I wil fall!" Castiel's eyes started to water with the thought of falling._

 _Estheriel leaned down to match her height with the fledgling's. "Don't worry, Castiel. I'll be right here to catch you if you fall." Esther smiled._

" _You promise, Esther?" Castiel said, using the nickname he gave her when he was younger and couldn't say her full name. Even though he could say her name now, the nickname stuck._

" _Yes, Cassie, I promise! I'll always be there."_

* * *

Castiel appeared inside the room at the door. "Hello, Dean. Where is she?"

Dean pointed to the bed. "What's wrong with her?" Dean said as Cas walked toward the bed. Cas placed two fingers on her forehead, but yelped when her forehead burnt his fingers. "Cas? What just happened?" Dean asked. Castiel stared at Esther, not seeming to notice the older Winchester. "Cas! Castiel!" Dean yelled. At the use of his full name, Castiel jumped and looked away from Esther. "What happened?" Dean asked again.

"I... I don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 **A/N I only own Esther. I do not own the show or the characters or any song mentioned. I am also writing this for fun and am not being paid. Sorry it took so long to update, life just gets in the way sometimes! I'll try to update soon!**

* * *

Castiel looked down to see his fingertips were red from a burn, but he quickly used his grace to heal it. "She... she burned me?" He looked back down to the girl on the bed.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"I've only seen this once before." Cas looked toward the brothers. "I don't know how she got it."

"Got what, Cas?" Dean yelled impatiently.

"It's an angel virus. I think she was fighting against an angel. But... I've only heard of angels getting this virus." Castiel said very confused. The brothers stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. "Angels can only get this virus when stabbed with an angel blade covered in a witch's blood."

Dean looks to Cas worriedly, "What happens when angels get it?"

Cas looks down before answering hesitantly, "They die..."

* * *

" _Estheriel! How's little Cassie doing?" Gabriel said as he entered Estheriel's nest._

" _He's doing great, Gabe! He's growing up so fast!"_

 _Gabriel looked down and ran a hand down the back of his neck. "Yeah... um... listen... Estheriel...um... it's time..."_

 _Estheriel's felt her heart crush. "No.. no no no... not yet... he's still too young... please Gabriel... please..." Estheriel pleaded with the archangel._

 _Castiel suddenly appeared in the room. "Esther? What's wrong?" When he saw Gabriel, he quickly got on one knee and bowed his head. "Archangel Gabriel. It is an honor."_

 _Gabriel looked at Castiel and then to Estheriel. "I'm sorry, Estheriel. You knew this was coming."_

 _Estheriel fell down to her knees and begged to Gabriel, "Please! He's too young! Please!"_

 _Gabriel saw the tears starting to pour from Estheriel's eyes. He knew it was too early, but Michael needed all the angels for the battle against Lucifer. Gabriel laid a hand on her shoukder, send a warmth through her, just like when she first laid eyes on Castiel. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry." Gabriel walked passed Estheriel and said to Castiel. "Castiel, please stand." Castiel stood with his head still bowed. "It is time for you to become the great warrior you were meant to be. Michael needs you in his army. You must come with me after I speak with Estheriel. Go pack some things." And with that, Castiel left to go to his room._

 _Estheriel stood up and wiped the tears from her face. "What is my next assignment, Archangel Gabriel?" Estheriel said with her head bowed._

 _Gabriel flinched at the use of his full title. "Castiel will eventually meet two humans. It is your job to befriend them and make sure they will keep Castiel safe before he meets them. Their names are Sam and Dean Winchester. You will not have any connection to the Host while on this assignment. When you think they are ready, you must leave them. Castiel will meet them shortly after you leave. You must protect them and teach them."_

" _What if I don't accept?" Estheriel mumbled._

" _This is an order from Father. You must accept or you will have to speak with Naomi."_

 _Castiel came back with a small bag of clothes. "I'm ready, Gabriel!" He smiled._

 _Gabriel looked at the young angel. He really was too young, but Michael needed him. "Alright. Say goodbye to Estheriel."_

 _Castiel stood there, shocked. "Wait... goodbye? Will... will I ever see her again?"_

 _Gabriel sighed. "I'm sorry. You are not old enough to become a soldier, so Michael must first send you to Naomi so you can... age."_

 _Estheriel was shocked. "No... no no no no! You can't do that to him!"_

" _Who's Naomi?" Castiel said innocently and tilted his head to the side._

 _Gabriel and Estheriel shared a look, neither wanting to tell the young angel that he would soon forget everything about his guardian. Gabriel was first to speak. "I'm sorry, but Naomi must make you older so you can fight, but she must take something from you, your memories of Estheriel."_

" _No! No! I refuse! I will not go with you!" Castiel screamed._

" _If you refuse I will have to take you by force." Gabriel warned._

" _I refuse!" Castiel screamed again. "I will not forget Esther!"_

 _Gabriel sighed and snapped his fingers and four other angels were in the room. Three grabbed the squirming Castiel and one grabbed Estheriel. Estheriel tried to escape the angels grasp, but it was no use._

" _Castiel! No! Please, Father, no! Please!" Estheriel cried._

" _Esther! Esther!" Castiel yelled as he, Gabriel, and the four other angels flew away._

" _Castiel! Cassie... Cassie!"_

" _Esther!" A voice called._

" _Cassie!"_

"Esther! Essie, wake up!" Esther rose with a start. She looked around and saw Sam, Dean, and... is that...

"Castiel?" She panted. Castiel tensed and Sam and Dean looked at each other. Without speaking, they decided to talk about it with her later. Esther was shivering and panting. "Where... where am I?" She asked Dean.

"You're in a motel. One of your stab wounds got infected and you had a fever, so we took you here. You were having a nightmare and we had to wake you up." Dean explains.

Esther looked around and noticed it was bright out. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Sam says. He goes toward the kitchenette and brings back a bag of food. "We thought you would be hungry when you woke."

Sam handed Esther the bag and she opened it up to reveal a burger and fries from the local McDonalds. "Thank you!" She said as she starts to open the burger.

Dean hands her a glass of water. "Here, you need to stay hydrated too."

Esther nodded her head and drank the whole glass in one gulp. Sam filled it back up as she finished the burger. "It's been a long time since I've had some real food. Thank you!"

Dean cringed at that comment. When they found her, she was skinner than last time they saw her and she had no money and very few items.

Sam pulls out the thermometer, "We need to check your temperature." She nods her head and Sam puts the thermometer in her ear. After he heard the beep, he pulled it out of her ear and read the little screen.

Sam smiled. "101.3. Thank God your fever broke. You should get some rest though."

"Yes, nurse Sam!" Esther teased. She laid back down and once her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Cas sat at the little table in the little kitchenette.

"How did she know your name, Cas? Did you tell her when you met her?" Dean asked.

"No. We didn't speak. I've never seen her before." Castiel looked toward the bed at the mysterious girl.

"Maybe we told her about him?" Dean asked Sam.

"Dean, we have never mentioned Cas. We never told her about angels." Sam stated.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, until Sam spoke again. "Cas, have you learned anything else about this angel virus in the past three days?"

"Nothing I didn't already know." Castiel turned to look back at the brothers. "Once an angel has this angel virus, no other angel can touch them without burning their fingers off. That's why whenever an angel gets it, they die. No one can help them. It's a very painful and slow death. I've never seen a human get it. I suppose that since you two were able to help her, that is why she is not dead."

The three sat their quietly, each one deep in their own thoughts. Each with the same question: _How she did know Castiel's name?_ Castiel stood up to go look at Esther. When he got there, he noticed something around her neck. It was a necklace. It was very simple, just one little wing, but it was very beautiful. It was silver and smooth. It looked like an... angel wing? Castiel reached down to touch it. It felt very familiar in his hand.

Dean walked over to Esther and Castiel and noticed him holding her necklace. "Whoa, Cas. You better not touch that. She's very protective of her necklace. She never lets anyone take it off or touch it."

Cas lets go of the necklace and looks toward Dean. "Dean, this necklace is made out of the same silver of an angel blade."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 **A/N I only own Esther. I do not own the show or the characters or any song mentioned. I am also writing this for fun and am not being paid. I'm so sorry it took forever to update. Sometimes life just gets in the way of writing. I'll try to update soon!**

* * *

Dean looks to Cas. "Same silver as an angel blade? You sure, Cas?"

Castiel nods. "Yes, Dean. I must figure out where she got the blade to make this necklace." With that, Castiel flys off, vanishing into thin air.

Dean looks at Esther lying on the bed, and sits on the other one. He folds his hands together, and rests his chin on his head, thinking. Sam says something about getting food, and Dean is left alone with Esther.

A few minutes later, Esther wakes up. "Hey Dean. Where's Sam?" Esther says looking around the room. Dean doesn't respond, just continues to look at the ground. "Dean?" Esther asks, moving closer to that side of the bed.

"Your necklace. How did you get it?" Dean says with his head still low.

"Dean," Esther laughs, "I've told you before! A friend of mine gave it to me years ago. He was a very good friend, almost like a brother to me, but he had to leave, so he gave it to me to remember him."

Dean lifts his head and looks into Esther's eyes. "I know you're lying, Esther."

Esther's smile falls from her face. "Of course I'm not. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Cas says that your necklace was made out of an angel blade." Dean says. Esther's gaze falls to the floor. "Where did you get that necklace, Esther?"

"I can't tell you." Esther mumbles, barely audible.

"What?" Dean says, leaning in a little to hear her words.

"I can't tell you." Esther looks into Dean's eyes this time.

"Why not?" Dean yells. "We hunted together for years! You said you didn't believe in angels! Yet you have always had that necklace! You've made sure no one takes it or touches it! You told me you would protect that necklace over anything else you own, even the demon blade Sam gave you for protection! You would do anything for that necklace!"

By now, Dean is standing up. A single tear falls down Esther's face. Esther tries to change the subject to calm Dean down. "Who's Cas?"

This only makes Dean more angry. "Don't play that game with me! You know perfectly well who Castiel is!"

Esther looks toward Dean, confused. "Dean, I have no idea who this Castiel is."

"Oh, yes you do! When we woke you from your fevered dream, you screamed his name. You were mumbling for him not to go. You know perfectly well who he is. He was the one who found you before us. But explain to me why he said he never told you his name!" Dean yells.

Esther takes a deep breath. "Ok, Dean. I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise me something. Promise me that you won't tell Sam or Castiel. They can't know what I'm about to tell you."

Dean doesn't answer right away, leaving an awkward silence for a moment. "Fine, I won't tell Sam or Cas."

Esther repositions herself so she is sitting cross legged on the bed. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, and I won't blame you for how you react. If you want nothing to do with me, I understand." Esther takes another deep breath, preparing herself for what she is about to tell Dean. "I'm an angel. I'm a guardian angel. My real name is Estheriel. It was my job in heaven to take care of one fledgling. That fledgling was Castiel. He was the first angel to have a guardian. Normally, guardian angels have human charges, but I was tasked with Castiel as my charge. I raised him, but then Michael needed him. Castiel was going to grow up and be a soldier in Michael's army, but the war came too early, and he was taken from me. He was too young. They had to send him to Naomi so she could 'age' him, but at the cost of his memories of me. He doesn't remember anything about me.

"After he left, my next order was to go to you two. I had to decide when I thought you two were ready to meet Castiel, for both his safety and your safety. When I thought you two were ready to meet Castiel, I had to leave, so I made up that fake vamp story and left. Before I left heaven though, Gabriel came and gave me this necklace. It is a piece of Castiel's blade. Gabriel took it from Castiel when he wasn't looking and carved out a little piece on the pommel of the blade. It's so well hidden, even Castiel doesn't realize it is there. He gave that piece to me and returned Castiel's blade. Gabriel gave it to me so I would never forget him or Castiel. Castiel and I were never supposed to meet again. That's why you cannot tell Castiel. I understand if I am no longer welcome." Esther lowers her head as more tears start to fall.

Esther and Dean sat there with only the sound of Esther's sniffles to fill the air. After a few minutes of this silence, Esther attempts to get out of the bed and head out, feeling like she is no longer welcome with the Winchesters. As soon as she shifts all her weight toward her feet, she falls to the ground in pain. Dean finally snaps back to reality when he heard her fall. He quickly walks over to help her and tries to pick her up, but Esther attempts to shove him away.

"It's fine, Dean. Really. I'm okay. I understand. I'll just be leaving now." Esther says.

"Not with that leg, you're not. Just sit down." Dean sits Esther back on the bed and grabs some pain pills out of the first aid kit on the nightstand. "Here, take these. It will help with the pain in your leg and shoulder."

Esther takes the pain pills gratefully and they sit there in silence for another few minutes. Esther is the first to talk this time. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Essie." Dean says.

"You won't tell Cassie or Sam, will you?" Esther asks cautiously.

"No. I won't tell them." Dean looks to Esther and smiles. "And you can stay. We would never leave you. We will always be there for you!"

Esther looks up with an expression of shock and confusion on her face. "You're... you're not... mad?"

"No! I'm not mad. You should have told us sooner, but I understand that those were your orders. I can't be mad at you. You're like my little sister!" Dean laughs.

Esther laughs, "Thank you, Dean."

Sam walks in the door moments later, a bag of food in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. He sets the food and drinks on the table and then looks over to see Esther awake. "Hey Esther! How are you feeling?" He walks over, food and drinks forgotten as he lays the back of his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

"It hurts but I'm feeling better, Sam. It's good to see you again." Esther says.

"Yeah, it's good to see you, too!" Sam gives Esther a hug, but quickly lets go when Esther hisses in pain. "Sorry, sorry. Forgot about your shoulder!" Sam winces.

"It's fine, Sam. Your hair has gotten so long! I didn't notice how long it was in the alley because my vision was all blurry from the spe- fever. From the fever. It made my vision all blurry. Barely recognized you at first." Esther smiles. Sam checks all her wounds and they seem to be healing up nicely.

Dean stomach growls. "So, Sammy, where's the food?"

* * *

After they finish eating, they are all sitting in the motel room watching television. Sam looks to Esther and asks, "So, you never told us, how did you get those knife wounds? Cas- I mean, Castiel, our.. um..."

"She knows, Sam," Dean says.

"Oh ok. So Cas tried to heal you, but... um... he couldn't. He said that the only thing that could stop an angel from healing someone is if they have an angel virus... and um... it requires an angel blade dipped in a witch's blood. You said you were fighting a spirit..." Sam says.

"Yeah... um... I kinda didn't want to worry you. I was fighting an angel." Esther replies.

"Did you kill him?" Dean asks.

Esther takes a deep breath before answering, "No."

"Is that bastard gonna come back for you?" Dean asks.

Esther pauses for a moment to think before responding, "Probably."

"What was his name? We need to be prepared for when he comes back for you. You are in no condition to fight so it looks like at least one of us will have to stay-" Sam starts.

"I'll stay with Essie. You and Cas can find the angel who did this and kill him!" Dean says.

"Ok." Sam agrees. "What was his name, Esther?"

Esther looks down then answers, "Michael."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

 **A/N: Yay! I finally got out of that writer's block! Thank you for your patience!**

 **I only own Esther. I do not own the show or any other characters. I am also just doing this for fun, and not getting paid. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sam and Dean stood there gaping at Esther.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Michael? The archangel?" Dean yelled.

Esther keeps her head down and answers, "Yes, Dean."

"Come on, Esther! You know better than to go after an archangel alone! They are the most powerful angels! You could have gotten hurt or worse! Oh wait, yeah, you did get hurt!" Dean said, pacing the length of the dingy motel room. Esther knew Dean was furious at her, he never used her actual name, he always called her by her nickname.

"Esther, why would you go after him alone? You could have called us. You know we would have helped you." Sam said, currently much more calm than Dean.

Esther looked up and locked eyes with Dean. "This was something I had to do alone."

This made Dean more furious. "Bullshit! You don't have to do anything alone, Esther! We will always be there for you!"

"Sam, can I talk to Dean, please?" Esther looked to Dean pleadingly.

"Sure, Essie." Sam nodded and walked out of the room.

When the door clicked shut, Dean was the first to speak. "You don't have to do anything alone, okay Esther? You know that, right?" Dean sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Dean, I needed to fight him alone. And he came to me." Esther said.

Dean sighed, "What did he want?"

Esther thought of what had happened when Michael confronted her.

* * *

 _Esther was sitting on a park bench when a man with athletic build, dark black hair, and blue eyes sat down next to her. She could feel the power radiating off of him. 'Angel' she thought to herself._

" _Yes, Estheriel. I am an angel." The man said._

" _Well that puts me at a disadvantage then, doesn't it. You know me, but I don't know you. Which brother are you?"_

 _The man was taken aback by her question and calmness In his presence. "Sister, you do not know who I am?"_

 _Esther laughed to herself. "No, brother, I do not know which one you are. I'm surprised you do not know. My grace, it was locked up in this necklace around my neck during my assignment with the humans. I couldn't have them discovering I was an angel. After my assignment was completed, Father did not want me to have my grace back. At least that was what 'Gabriel' had said." She said with air quotes. "Well, he said he was Gabriel, but I knew Gabriel too well. That wasn't him. So, my grace is still locked up in this necklace, and I do not know which brother you are. All I know is that I can feel your power radiating, so you are much stronger than I was." Esther looked at the man expectedly._

" _Well. Estheriel, that was not Father's order. He wanted you to have your grace back—"_

" _And how would you know? Why would He even care?" Esther interrupted him._

" _Sister, I suggest you do not interrupt me." He said, threateningly._

 _Esther chuckled under her breath. "Yeah, right. I'm not scared of you. You're not Michael or Lucifer or any of the other archangels. They are too busy fighting each other or dead to care."_

" _That's not true, Estheriel."_

" _Please, you know it is. I may be locked out of Heaven, but that doesn't mean I don't hear anything from the other angels I meet." Esther stood up. "Well, it's been great talking, but I have important_ human _stuff to do."_

 _The man stood up and grabbed her arm. "Do not walk away from me, sister."_

 _Esther stopped. She would not admit she was scared, but she was. "Who are you?" She spoke with as much venom in her voice as she could, and hoped her fear had not seeped out._

" _Michael." The man said._

' _Oh shit.' Esther thought._

" _Don't use that language with me, Estheriel! Now, where is Castiel?"_

" _How should I know, you're the one who took him from me. Made him forget everything about me! How could I know!" Esther yelled._

" _Be quiet! I know you have been keeping tabs on the Winchesters' whereabouts. Where are they?" Michael said in a low voice._

" _I'm not telling you anything!" In all honesty, Esther had no idea where they were. But she was't going to let him go out and look for them. Michael tightened his grip on her arm, and flew off. They landed in a dark, musty alley. There was no one else around, so no one would see what was about to happen. Michael held his other hand to her throat and pushed her against the wall._

" _Where are the Winchesters?!" He yelled._

" _This how you treat all the ladies?" Esther smirked, his grip on her throat tightened. She had to admit, some of Dean's antics had rubbed off onto her._

" _Where. Are. They!" He said, his archangel blade coming out of his sleeve._

" _What do you want with them!" Esther eyed the blade, her fear growing._

 _Michael took the blade and dug it into her left thigh. Esther let out a yelp. "That's none of your business. Now, tell me where they are, and maybe I'll heal you."_

" _Tell them what you want with them, and maybe I'll tell you!"_

" _Oh, Estheriel, I'm the one with an archangel blade. I'm the one who makes the deals. Now, tell me where they are!" Michael yanked the blade out of her thigh and held it against her neck. He released his hold on her neck, but used his grace to keep her pinned to the wall._

" _I'm the one with the information you want. You wouldn't kill me." Esther said._

 _Michael paused for a second. "Fine. I need to speak with Castiel."_

" _About?"_ _"I'm not telling you! Now, where are they?"_

" _Not until I get what I want! What do you want with Castiel!"_

 _Michael sighed. "He's needed." Esther didn't respond, needing more from the archangel. "He is needed in the fight against Raphael. He wants to take over Heaven now that Father is… busy at the moment. There, now tell me where he is!"_

 _Esther smiled. "Well, brother, you really should have made sure the person you threaten actually has the information."_

 _Michael gripped the blade tighter. "Where. Is. Castiel?!"_

" _I don't know." Esther said. Michael could tell she was telling the truth. He stabbed her in the right shoulder, and pulled the blade out. He wiped the blood on his pants, even though he could have cleaned it with his grace. Esther slumped down to the ground in pain. Something was different, she could feel it. It burned. Getting cut with an archangel blade hurt, but didn't burn. "What did you do to me!"_

 _This time, Michael smiled. "Angel virus. Coated my blade in witch's blood before I came here. Without help, you have a few hours at most. I guess your little Winchesters won't be able to save you now." With that, he flew away. Esther got up and looked around. The virus was starting to take affect, and she wobbled over to a nearby phone booth and dialed the number she memorized for years, hoping Dean still had it._

* * *

Sam was waiting outside when he heard the sound of wings. He looked around to find Castiel standing next to him. "Hey, Cas."

"Hello, Sam." Castiel said.

"What's up?"

"I don't trust this Esther." Castiel said with a blank face.

Sam laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

Castiel scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. "No, Sam, I would not 'kid' about this. I do not trust her. Something is off with her."

Sam smiled. "She's fine, Cas. We've known her longer than we have known you. We trust her with our lives. Heck, Dean trusts her so much that he even let her drive the Impala once. Don't worry about her."

"Sam, something is off with her. I do not trust her and I do not think you should either."

Sam's smile faltered. "Cas, she's like a little sister to me and Dean. If there was something off with her, we would know. I trust her with my life. So does Dean."

"That's what I'm worried about. Something is off Sam!" Cas said, annoyed that Sam would trust her over him. Yes, they have known each other longer, but Castiel was an angel of Lord, if he knew something was off, something was off.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but she is staying." Sam said, ending the argument. With that, Castiel flew away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Sam hears yelling coming from inside the motel room, so he decides to go in and see what is going on. He walks in and sees Dean and Esther in a shouting match.

"I thought you were dead!" Dean yelled. "For years, Essie, I thought you died after you left for that hunt. But you left without any explanation, and you didn't even try to reach out to us!"

"I couldn't contact you, Dean! And you know that!" Essie yelled back. Sam felt like he was watching a tennis match.

"You let Michael attack you! Michael! You could've died Essie! You almost did die!"

"I was keeping him away from you and Cassie! He can't get to Cassie. I won't let him get to Cassie! I need to go." Essie moves carefully to start gathering her things in the corner of the room. She was limping, but she was determined to leave.

"You are going nowhere!" Dean says. His face drops a little and his voices lowers, "Let us help you."

Essie stops packing and sighs. "Don't make this harder than it is, Dean."

Sam barely hears Dean whisper, "Why do you have to go? Why?"

Essie looks up, tears in her eyes. "Because, Dean, the longer I stay here the more I put you guys at risk. If Michael finds out I survived, he will come after me again and he will find you. I can't let that happen."

"You don't need to do this alone. Essie, please! Don't go." Dean's says as his voice breaks.

Sam decides that this will be a good time to make his presence known. "What's going on?" Sam asks.

Essie jumps, startled by the fact that Sam was in the room. She didn't notice him walk in. "Sam, what did you hear?" Her face showed how nervous she was.

"Enough to know that something is going on that I don't know about."

"It's nothing, Sam." She says as she continues to pack her things.

"Esther," Dean growls, "If you don't tell him, I will."

Sam looks between Dean and Esther confused. "Esther, what's going on?"

Esther sighs and moves to sit on the edge of the bed that faces the other bed. "Sit down, Sam." She gestures to the other bed. Sam sits down and looks at Esther. Esther takes a deep breathe and says, "Sam, I'm an angel. I was the angel that raised Castiel, but he was taken from me to fight in Michael's army in the war against Lucifer. He was too young. They had to 'age' him, which meant they would have to erase his memories of me. After he left, my next assignment was to go down to earth and befriend you two. I was told to prepare you two for Castiel. Once I thought you to were ready to meet Castiel, I had to leave."

Sam stares at Esther, shocked. His faces morphed from confused, to hurt, to anger, to hurt again, and back to confused. "How did we not know you were an angel? Can't Cas see that you are an angel?"

Esther started to play with her necklace and looked at it with a fond smile on her face. "In order for me to make sure you thought I was human, I had to become human. Gabriel wanted me to remember Castiel, so he managed to get a hold of Castiel's angel blade and carved a piece out of it for me. It is supposed to look like an angel wing. I had to store my grace somewhere, and I thought the safest place to store my grace would be with me. So, I turned the angel wing into a necklace and I have never taken it off." Esther looks up to Sam with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, you can't tell Castiel. Castiel cannot know that he was my charge. Please, Sam!"

Sam, confused as to why this should be kept secret, asks, "Why can't we tell Cas? Wouldn't he want to know that his mother figure is here?"

Esther chuckles and says, "Ok, first, I am not his mom. I am his older sister. I was just the one that raised him. He was my charge. Every angel gets one, whether it be human or angel. But that's another conversation for another time. When I lost Cassie, I was told that we were never meant to meet again. If he finds out who I am, then the angels will come for me. I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't tell him then leave him." Esther says quietly.

Dean mumbles, "You are already planning on leaving, so what's the difference."

"Dean!" Sam scolds.

Esther looks to Dean and says earnestly, "It is different, Dean. Right now, he doesn't know who I am. If I leave now, he won't think twice about it. He won't care if I leave."

"But we care, goddammit!" Dean yells. Esther winces at the bad language against her father. "What about us?! You're talking about not wanting to leave Castiel, but what about us? We care about you. We care if you leave. We will miss you if you leave!" Dean wipes a hand over his face, trying to hold back tears.

"Dean's right, Essie. You're like a little sister to us. We want to help you. Let us help you. What if Michael comes back—"

"Exactly, Sam. What if Michael comes back?!" Esther cuts Sam off and stands up. She wobbles a bit, but finds her balance after a second, keeping most of her weight off of her left leg. "If Michael comes back he will take Castiel! And what if Michael comes back and decides to take Dean, too! I won't let him take you. You may think of me as your little sister, but I am older than you can imagine. I'm older than Castiel. You two may be Castiel's charges, but I see you two as my charges. Angels must protect their charges at any cost. I will not let Michael take any of you!"

Dean and Sam sit there, stunned at her outburst, and stare at her. Esther limps over to her half-packed bag and continues packing. "Please, let me go. It's better this way."

Dean is the first one to speak. "I need a drink." Dean grabs a beer from the fridge and throws one to Sam, who catches it.

Esther looks to Dean, annoyed that Dean always turns to a beer in situations like this one. "You really need to stop drinking. I'm serious."

"You need to stop doing stupid shit like this or you will get yourself killed." Dean takes a swig of the beer, and whispers, "Let us help you, Essie. I don't want to loose you, too."

Esther stops packing and looks to Dean. Dean has his head down, looking at the floor, but she can see the way his eyes shimmer with unshed tears. She remembers all the people that Dean has lost, and Dean has blamed himself every time. Even when it wasn't his fault, he always felt like he could've done something. She realizes that if she were to die, Dean would blame himself. Her death is something Dean would never get over.

Esther takes a deep breathe nods her head and says quietly, "Okay. Okay, Dean. I won't leave. But you have to promise not to tell Castiel."

Then, the sound of wings fills the quiet. Castiel appears in the room next to Dean. Castiel looks to Esther with narrowed eyes. "Dean, we need to talk."

Dean jumps slightly but nods. "Ok, Cas. What do you need to talk about?"

Castiel finally takes his eyes away from Esther and says, "Alone." Castiel grabs Dean's arm and they fly away.

Esther looks at the spot where Dean and Castiel once were and then turns to Sam. "What was that all about?" She asks.

Sam shifts his weight from foot to foot and rubs a hand through his freakishly long gorgeous hair that girls always get jealous over. "Um… well, see, Cas, he… he doesn't really trust you."

Esthers smiles a little bit and says, "That's my Cassie. I'm not surprised."

Sam gives a nervous little laugh and looks to the floor. "He said he doesn't want us to trust you."

Esther laughs at that. "Again, I'm not surprised. You two are his charges. He doesn't trust anyone around you two. And the fact that I just called needing help and you rushed to my aid doesn't help either. Cassie won't trust me even after I leave."

Sam smiles. "You should sit down. You need to rest that leg."

Esther rolls her eyes with a smile on her face, "Okay, Sasquatch!" Esther sits down on the bed and grabs the remote and starts flipping through chanels.

Sam grabs his computer and sits on the other bed. "Oh, and I wouldn't call Castiel 'Cassie'. He really hates when people do that."

Esther smiles fondly and looks over at Sam. "I know, Sam. I was the only one who he would allow to call him that. A little while after he left, Gabriel and I were catching up and Gabriel said that he may have forgotten everything about me, but he still gets annoyed when other people call him Cassie. He doesn't know why it bothers him, he just knows that it does."

—

"Where are we?" Dean asks when they land.

"Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina," Castiel responds. "We need to talk about Esther. I don't trust her, Dean. She has a necklace made from the same material of an angel blade, but no angel is missing a blade. All the blades are accounted for. And she had the angel virus. Only angels get it, Dean! It is impossible for a human to get the angel virus. She may have been your friend once, Dean, but she is angel now, Dean. That's not your friend Esther!"

Dean looks at Castiel, speechless. Finally, he thinks of something to say. "Cas, if she was angel, don't you think we would know? Wouldn't you be able to tell if she was an angel?"

"That's the problem, Dean. I can only see her vessel. I can't see her grace. But only angels get the angel virus."

Dean sighs and rubs a hand over his face. He tries to keep his mind blank, just in case Cas tries to read his mind. Esther would be so mad at him if Castiel found out about her. "Ok, well, Michael was the one that attacked her, and he's an archangel. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

Castiel squints his face contemplates Dean's question. "Michael still could not have given her the angel virus if she was human."

Dean thinks for second. "What if she used to be possessed by an angel?"

Castiel tilts his head to the side a bit. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that what if an angel used to possess her, but then the angel left. Does the angel virus attack the grace?"

"No, the virus attacks the vessel, but only if the vessel still has something from the angel that possessed them with them. The angel virus is created when you cover an angel blade in a witch's blood. Once the blood and power from the angel blade enter the vessel's body, what you saw happen to Esther is what happens, but normally, they die. I have never seen anyone survive the angel virus."

"She told me that Michael had dipped his blood in a witch's blood before he met up with her. Maybe she has something of the angel that possessed her with her. Maybe Michael knew that and that's why he decided to cover his blade in a witch's blood."

Castiel has a 'lightbulb moment', as Dean calls it. "Her necklace."

Dean suddenly goes stiff. "Her necklace?"

"Her necklace is made out of an angel blade. That has to be from the angel that possessed her. We need to go." Castiel reaches out to grab Dean and fly him back to the motel when Dean takes a step back and holds his hand out.

"Whoa, Cas, are you sure? She has had that necklace since we met her. None of us believed angels were real before you. There is no way that she was possessed by an angel before that."

Cas tilts his head to the side and studies Dean's face. "Of course I'm sure, Dean. There is nothing else it could be. Now, let's go back to the motel. I need to talk to your friend Esther."

Castiel reaches out and grabs Dean before Dean could move back. "Wait, Cas, no…" Castiel flies back to the motel. He will protect the Winchesters, his charges, from this unknown person.


End file.
